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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. cell — in biology
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. rest — a break
  5. cell — a phone
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. fine — high quality
  9. rest — what's left
  10. season — in sport
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. press — a publisher
  14. press — newspapers
  15. plane — a tool
  16. season — of the year
  17. land — a country
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. land — to come down
  21. rest — what's left
  22. fine — all right
  23. press — to push
  24. season — to add flavour

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com